I was fortunate to get to have this (with Bourbon Del Noche) at the Founders Black Party 2011. Other reviews here give plenty of details on the beer itself, so I won't duplicate their data; that said, I LOVE this beer. The idea of taking a Black IPA and adding a sweet element (due to the maple syrup cask aging of it) makes for a GREAT beer for those who might otherwise be highly-afraid of either a pitch-black beer or an IPA (not to mention a pitch-black IPA). I can only hope that Founders will bottle this awesome nectar in the near future, as I feel that it would prove to be very popular; I chalk this beer up as one of my all-time (surprise!) favorites.

Pours black with a slight head. The appearance must be the low point of this pint.

Plenty of maple and earthy malts in the smell. There are also hints of vanilla, chocolate, and oak playing around in my nose.

Wonderful maple-coffee like dark malts. This is Canadian Breakfast Stout's younger brother. More sweet than bitter but some pine comes through to help the balance. Also indicated in the smell, the chocolate, vanilla, and oak come through in the taste.

Very full and rich in the mouth with a clean bite at the end. The aftertaste lasts and it is welcome in my mouth any day.

This is very drinkable and super tasty! I wish this was a regular offering. In my opinion, this is much better than Bourbon Del Noche.

sampled on tap at the brewpub april 28/2011, side by side with the bourbon del noche. this is apparently the same base as the bourbon del noche, but instead of regular bourbon barrels it was aged for a full year in the same maple bourbon barrels they use for the CBS.

pours nearly black, just a shade lighter than the bourbon version but still clear. it shows more reddish brown at the edges where the other was less red. the head has more of a finer tan hue and still leaves a bunch of spotty lace as it falls.

aroma is great. smells like the bourbon version mellowed by time in a barrel! bourbon, vanilla, maple, caramel, and a bit of buttery coffee. hops and toasty character from the bourbon version have mellowed out. smooth.

taste is great. generally you can see the common base with the bourbon version. a bit sweeter and so much mellower than the bourbon version. dark and milk chocolate. lightly toasted whole wheat bread and biscuit. bit of anise. the alcohol has mellowed and now you just get a little warmth on the way down.

mouthfeel is great. nice big body. medium carbonation level.

drinkability is great. great balance. nice depth. a different direction from the bourbon version. i like each of them in their own way, and i think from day today my opinion could change, but today this one wins out by a small margin.

The pour is nearly-black. Really a very dark brown. Pretty excellent mocha head that fades quickly into a short cap. Nice legs on the sides of the glass. Pretty good looking beer. The nose is dominant with a really strong maple character that is just short of dominating, as it lets the base beer shine. Moderate amount of oak and some light vanilla there as well. Really wonderful. The flavor combines maple and molasses really well with the addition of some brown sugar, oak, and sweet malt. Touch of roast in the background. Feel is incredibly luscious and smooth with only the faintest hint of booze. Overall, simply fantastic--reminiscent of the first batch of CBS.

Thin head just a few bubbles after the pour around the edges of the glass. Dark brown in color. Barley wine alcohol, sweet, smokey, fennel, chocolate aromas. Really nice flavors, some interesting mixtures of things going on in this beer. Mouthfeel is thin but flavorful enough to balance out the whole thing. It's also got a dry finish. Found this beer to be really freaking good, would have loved to try the Bourbon one but they had sold out by the time I got there.

Tap at Founders. It was written on the board as a DIPA, but the black ale seems to fit better, as with the regular Diablo Del Noche.

Cola brown pour, just a whisp of light tan head. Sticks to the glass all right.

Malty, maple and some light booze. Lighter herbal, piney hops.

Taste, strong caramel maltiness and maple. A little charry booziness. Some roast, herbal and piney hops overcome the sweetness.
Don't know where these guys get their barrels, but they add so much to so many of their brews.

Warming but nearly creamy smooth and coating. 7.5% makes this less of a killer than some. Worth trying and less char than Hand of Doom.